On a lighter note, I had a very interesting thing happen to me. (This is a completely true story by the way.)
One afternoon I happened to look out my front bay window and saw a bird sitting right on the outside ledge...less than a foot from the ground and within perfect reach of one of the boys, Max, Pudgie or Ozzie (my cats). I didn't know what kind of bird it was, as I am an animal lover of the furry kind and not so much the feathered kind, although I love all animals. I looked at it through the window and it didn't appear injured. So, I opened the door to see where the boys were, but none were in sight. The closer I got, the bird looked like a pigeon and just stared right up at me and appeared to be tame. All I could think was that it would be dinner for one of the boys if I din't get it out of there.
I ran downstairs and grabbed one of my cat carriers, put newspaper in it, brought it outside and set it on the ground next to the bird. She walked right in the carrier and I closed the wire door. As she walked into the carrier I noticed she had an orange band on one of her legs with very small writing on it. I began to wonder if she was a bird that was being tracked, so I took her inside, put her up high on a tall chest of drawers and immediately called my vet.
My veterinarian is Dr. Kathy Purcell
who owns Boiling Springs Animal Hospital. She also happens to be the Cumberland County Wildlife Rehabilitation Coordinator.
I reached one of the girls at the front desk and she said it could be a homing pigeon. She gave me a website for homing pigeons and said I should try to read the numbers on the band and follow the directions on the website. I could barely make out the numbers on the band and wrote them on a piece of paper. I typed in the web address and sure enough I found a phone number to call.
In a slightly southern, backwoods kind of drawl "El-Low" said the voice on the other end of the phone. I told him I had a pigeon with a band on its leg. "Oh, sure, can you read me the numbers" he asked. I read the numbers and he said "yep, that's her, we had a race in Ohio over the weekend and she probably got tired and needed to rest." I asked him where he was from and he said, Newark, Delaware. I was floored. This poor bird was flying from Ohio to Delaware! All I could think was that she must be absolutlely exhausted.
The man asked if I wouldn't mind if she stayed with me a few days to 'rest up' and get her strength back. He said all she needed was some bird seed, a little water and she'd be fine. I was still in shock that this bird could fly that great of a distance and din't believe she'd ever make it home.
After two and a half days, I took "Dolly" whom we named after Dolly Parton, out of her crate in the garage. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon and she waddled around a bit for nearly a half an hour. I really didn't think she would leave, but I went into the house for a minute and when I came back out, she was gone. I prayed none of the boys had gotten her and that she was somewhere safe.
Later that evening I got an e-mail from Larry the pigeon guy. It read "Thanks for taking good care of her, she made it home about 5 o'clock and doesn't look worse for the wear." - Larry
Two hours and she didn't even have mapquest! Animals continue to amaze me. I am very thankful she chose my house to come and rest her wings at. She must have known I was an animal lover!
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